Full Transcript for Loon Lovers Live with Greg Vardy - Cape Breton Icon

self tape. But, um, alas, I had to go in blind. But, yeah. So, I knew about the apples. I knew I knew the lore. The lore. Yeah. Yeah. Basic. Speaking of apples, our friend I just have to have to makes these wonderful little apple pins. So, we have to send you one so you can have one of the Apple from Stephanie. I think somebody was commenting those on all of my posts. Yes. So, the Stephanie is a a props master in Vancouver. So, uh really cool. So, we will we will send you one. So, speaking of the show, do you have a favorite character? Um yeah, I do. I really fell in love with the um Oh my god, I always get the titles of the books mixed up. This is so embarrassing. I should really do my homework before this podcast, but it's the one with um Kyle and the goalie. I'm in goal. cuz well I asked okay so I asked Rachel um is Eric maybe a little bit on the autism spectrum because he reminds me so much of my boyfriend who um also is and they just their dynamic had a lot of similarities and like I guess miscommunications to my own life and yeah it was really endearing to me. Not a lot of people have that as their favorite. So, this is Oh, really? No, that's usually the the number six. So, no way. I'm glad you're giving it some love. Yes. I don't I wonder why that Why is that? Why is that the the least favorite? I think also when Rachel kind of says who will still be together and who probably won't, she usually says that six months. Yes, I did. I did know that. You did know that. Yeah. It's more of a lust more of a lusty. Yeah, they're they're fun to read about, but will they last? I don't know. Yeah, she she got notes back from her publisher that like the books do a lot better when the fans are like really invested in the love stories. Like if they feel like if they are completely like monogous and will stay in love forever, then it it does um yeah that that was a note that she got back and I thought that was really interesting. Romance readers are are pretty intense stuff like that. So, there are a lot of people that won't read anything other than like full-blown romance. Full-blown romance, monogamy, happily ever after. Have to have all of the elements. Yeah. Yeah. Um Yeah, I thought that was interesting. Yeah, it's it's a different world. But, uh side note real quick, your boyfriend is an artist and does he currently have a show up? Yeah, he has uh two shows up. um both in Canada. One in the uh Prince Edward Island Confederation Center, it's their provincial gallery. And there's one at Elweek, which is in Sydney, Nova Scotia. So, if anyone's up there, check them out. Check it out. Check them out. Very cool. Going back to the show, what was your favorite part of season one? Oh my god. Um, I mean there was the episode that uh I cried at, of course, there was like the double cry and I the the whole like Russian monologue blew me away and made me cry. Um, and then Scott and Kip's kiss. Yes. It touched me so much. I would like crying. Yeah, of course. Like

you would have to be a monster not to cry, right? Um, and then yeah, like the the sexual tension in episode one. Love like in the gym, the water bottle. I was like, the hand. Yeah. Yeah. I love it. Um, yeah, cuz like we we were working with Crave and there was all of this buzz about this like gay hockey show and I'm like, can it be that good? And then episode came out and like we had some producers that were talking about it. So, I finally watched it and it was actually like the day that it came out. I watched it. I was like, "Oh my god." Yeah. texted everybody I knew and then kind of felt embarrassed about it because I'm like, "Wait, I'm like I'm telling all of my friends to go watch this like erotic." So then I had to like check myself a little bit. Um yeah, and then then it was like kind of like the the mad dash like I knew this was going to be something big. So then I wanted to get Rachel on the podcast and yeah, that happened pretty immediately. Fast. Yeah. Like exponential. It's crazy. She was telling me some of like the the countries that it's being translated to and it's like I'm sure you guys know, but like absolutely changing the world. It's amazing. Yeah. Yeah. It's a phenomenon which was also kind of an unexpected because it started out as a a niche romance book reader thing and like we were excited about it but we didn't know it was going to be this. So yeah, pandemonium. Yeah, absolutely wild. Completely. And now the um I don't know if it's the same in the states right now, but like there are so many TV shows that are trying to copy the format, but not realizing that it's like um centering like queer stories is the thing that made it so special and like revolutionary. So they're trying to do the same with like I don't know this like straight hockey story. And I'm sure people are going to love it and I'm sure it's going to be a smash hit, but I'm I'm just a little bit salty about it. That's not what what the magic was. Yeah. Thank you. Yeah. Not at all. Not at all. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's right. What are you looking forward to seeing in season two? And can we get videos of Martina reacting to watching it? Can you please do that? So sweet. That That's a funny idea. I should do that. Um Yeah, you got my wheels turning. Uh, what am I looking forward to in season two? I have a big old crush on Connor Story, so there's more Connor. That's easy. That's an easy thing to look forward to. I mean, like bringing Oh, I'm really excited to see Troy. He's from New Brunswick, which is like the neighboring province. So, of course, like all the actors are so hot, so that's like exciting anyway. But like, yeah, to have a local boy on the screen is going to be very exciting. Yeah. And I think it's going to be really cool to see like um I know some people are disappointed with Harris and I think that's so it makes me angry. I got some flack for like not looking how people pictured and I was talking to Rachel and she said like the same thing happened last year with Conrad. Yeah. Yeah. some of some of I I think it's going to be exciting to see what Jacob and the rest of the team do with these actors and the characters and it's like they've done it once, they're going to do it again. You guys are all going to be obsessed. We're all going to be obsessed. So like calm down and just chill. Just chill and like stop commenting on people's bodies. That's not it's not it. It's not good. Yeah, that's that was that was a thing for me. Like when this whole thing started blowing up and people thought I was Harris and then all of a sudden people are saying I'm not big enough and I'm like you got to know like I this is not a new story but like classic gay boy with body dysmorphia. I always felt like I was like very overweight. I'm not. But hearing all these people talk about like oh I wish he was like 20 lbs heavier. I'm like, "What? Wait, what?" It was like disorienting. And I guess in some ways it was like very validating to like, oh, like I look good. Great. You're too skinny. Yeah. Yeah, I'm too skinny. Okay, sure. But it still feels weird. All of these people perceiving my body and commenting on it online, which I guess like I'm I knew when I auditioned for the show. That's a part of it. So, it's like I can't be too mad at that. But yeah, it's just it's a thing. Yeah, definitely a thing. Yeah, it's it's still very much a thing online right now. I've logged off. That is totally fair. Probably for the best. Yeah. And trust the process. I mean, yes, the we haven't seen anything. No. And I've read some like really amazing things about what Jacob did with like season one. And it's like it was a small Canadian budget and he kind of challenged every single person on the team to like make this look like it's a bigger budget show and get creative, get creative with the lighting. Like I don't know if you guys read about this, but like the the lighting in that club scene, the the club scene, that was like uh a cheap thing that they did to make it look very expensive and like playing with the mood lighting. And as a as somebody who works on that side of things too, I'm like I'm so impressed with how they made a Canadian show look it looks like HBO. Like you wouldn't know that the budget was as Yeah. small as it was. Yeah. That's like I have so much respect for that. So yeah, I I just I I trust their process so heavily with can't wait to see. That's that's the other thing that I like I'm really excited to see is like um sometimes when shows start off small and then get a budget. It's like it it changes the the challenge, I guess. It's like how do you keep it feeling? Yeah. I don't know. I think that's going to be cool to see. Keep the vibes the same. Changing gears a little bit. Was there a song in the show that really turned your head? What was your favorite from the the soundtrack the show? I mean, of course, the uh all the things you said, but like I was so excited to hear Feist Nova Scotia legend. I love that.

Like I have so much time for um local talent and I think that's a really cool thing. Yeah, that was very cool. Feist. Yes. Yes. The inventor of the iPod is the original iPod commercial song. That's right. I knew I'd heard that one. Yeah, that's like her like one, two, three, four song. Yeah, I remember that. You remember that? I'll have my iPad somewhere around here. Oh my god. You can sell that. Yeah, I They are People are going like lowfi. You can sell that. I wanted to get one for my daughter just like we're trying to do like the screen free thing and trying to find devices that she can use or it's difficult. Well, if I find mine, I will ship it to you. There we go. Thank you. As a Canadian, what was the most Canadian thing you noticed on the show? We get really fun answers to this. My like immediate reaction is the loon. I was just out in well, how do I describe where I was? The cottage, let's say, and it's my my family has a spot on the water and we were kaying and there was like a family of loons around us recently and it was like, yeah, this is this is a real thing. The thing that actually happened, right? And like the I think the cottage like in a in a big way felt very Canadian like the bonfire, the swimming, all of that is like that is Canadian summer vibes. What are Okay, what were some other answers? Rachel Clock the Soies bag so bag there the some of the advertisements around the the rink. Yeah, the juice one. Booster juice. Booster juice. Booster juice keeps me alive when I'm at airports. Yep. And um taking off your shoes when you when you go inside. That was a big one that people noticed. Is that Canadian? Yes. That is not American. There a few fun Easter eggs and we didn't clock any of them. So, yeah. Good. Okay. Now, I'm going to be watching for season two. I'm excited. extras and they're like I think they maybe there was somebody wearing something. I don't know. But yeah, just some little things in the background that like they're supposed to be in Russia and it's like clearly clearly not right. There's booster juice in Toby's bags. Um okay, this is another fun one that we've gotten some cool answers to. If you could have one prop from the show, what would you what would you take? Ooh, this is challenging cuz I I watched the show when it first came out and I need like a refresher. Um Oh my god. Sorry, that's my cat meowing. What would be my prop? Uh maybe that I don't know. I'm thinking of the furniture in the like selfishly like furnishing my home with the beautiful furniture that like Connor and Hudson rolled around on we had we Yeah, maybe maybe the sectional. Maybe the couch. Somebody wanted the chair. The chair. Yeah. Well, I was going to say the Msulka chair, but I don't have space for it. Um, you're actually picturing these in your house. Yeah. Like I don't know where I'd put a skull chair, but like I would definitely use a new sectional and to say guess where that sectional guess who rolled around naked on that sectional. I like this. That's good. Yeah. Nobody's allowed to sit on it and it's covered in cling wrap. But just keep it pristine. Yeah. Yeah. with with a little TV over the side that displays the scene every single time. Yes. On loop. Yeah, it's an art display. It's an art display. Yeah, this is art. I love that. That's a good one. We've got what? Uh the chair was a big one. Uh people wanted jerseys, hockey sticks. Yes, but the chair was probably said multiple times. We have not gotten the sectional. That's that's new. We have upgraded from chair to sectional. Love it. I'm thinking utilitarian here. Yeah, I I like that. We like that. A little bit uh different pivot here. What do you think of shows like Heated Rivalry and what they are doing for queer representation in the media? Are we going in the right direction? We talked a little bit about some of those shows that are not, but uh what what have you seen in the entertainment industry? I think yes. Um, I was just having this conversation with my director the other day. Like all of a sudden, um, like Crave and the the broadcasters in Canada have such an appetite for risk and that's their word, not mine, cuz to tell queer stories, I guess, is risky. But, um, I think it's really cool that it like completely broke through to the mainstream media and like, yeah, I think it's great. some of the arguments that I've heard against it that it's like, oh, it's so like sex first, blah, blah, blah. But like that kind of is a way that uh queer love begins is like maybe it starts with intimacy and then feelings develop. And I think that's really valid. And um you say shows like Heated Rivalry, but I'm having a hard time thinking of other shows like Heated Rivalry. I think that's like a part of the magic is that it feels completely new. And I think the thing that is like um a part of the formula for like why it's so magic is it's like of like why hasn't this story been told before? It's like and no shade to Rachel, but it's like it's almost obvious. It's like of course two hockey players fall in love. It's it just I don't know. I I think it's like when I heard it for the first time, I'm like, "Oh, this is like an obvious good story." Yeah. Yeah. It just makes it juicy. It's just juicy. Yeah. And like Yeah. It's good. It's never been told before and it's like you can't tell me it's never happened, right? Can't wait for those stories. Yes. My Yeah. I know some real life stories like that. So, they are happening. And I mean, hopefully it like also um encourages queer athletes to come forward. Yeah. I was when when the show first came out, I was talking to somebody like the first like gay hockey player to come out is going to have so many sponsorships they can just retire. It's like who's going to be the real life heated rivalry with the Rolex sponsorship. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Rolex is waiting. Yes. They're all just waiting in the wings to just throw some money at a gay hockey player or Canada dry like get some sponsorship. Yeah. Um Okay. So, we would love to support you in your career. Um, I believe you have a Tracy and Martino live coming up in September. Anything else that you have coming up that that we should look into? Yeah, for Canadians, our movie is going to be on Crave TV on September 1st. We're also going on a cross country tour starting in the end of September until right before Christmas. Um, and then our agent just let us know that there are some US dates happening in 2027. So where? Well, do you know yet? Uh there it's looking like they're closer to the border. Yeah. Um but I mean if they go well, maybe we'll expand and like slowly go south. There's like Yeah, there's a bit of a a hesitancy to bring drag to the south. That's fair. That's fair. Although Atlanta Atlanta's pretty safe, I'll tell you that. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'm dying to go to Atlanta. Arizona. Yeah. What? Yeah. You must tell us the name of your director. I work with multiple directors. The one I was watching a CBC interview about your movie. Oh, my movie director. Yes. Moose. Moose. I love it. So, that's his nickname. His real name is Brendan Lyall, but he goes by Moose since he was in like junior high. He is He's a protege. He's one to watch. He's the next Tarantino. Remember the name. That's hard to forget. Moose. We always finish with a series of rapid fire questions. Um so just pick this or that, whichever one appeals to you the most. Um, and the first one is Coke or Ginger ale. Sensible SUV or flashy sports car. SUV. Tuna melts or burgers? Tuna. Okay. The next one was sent in from April from Nova Scotia. Lobster roll or donaire? Lobster roll. Cottage or penthouse? Cottage. French or Russian? Russian's sexy, but French is uh I could French in the streets, Russian in the sheets. I like that. Best answer yet. Yep. Yes. Um Okay. Uh, last one, the Canada Fleece or Ilya's Club shirt. Club shirt. Nice. Thank you so much, Greg, for joining us today and check back soon for more Heated Rivalry love on Lo0n Lovers Live. Thank you. Thank you.